The UK has been home to a bustling busy theatre world ever since the days of William Shakespeare. Nowadays you can visit the theatre in almost any town in the UK where you will find that plays are put on all year round for both younger and older visitors alike.

But going to the theatre is not just a fun way to spend an afternoon; if you are new to the UK it is also a great way to improve your English. You can buy a book that accompanies many of the better known plays and read it before or after you go along, this should see your language skills get much better.

Pantomime

One of the UK’s oldest and fondest traditions takes place around Christmas time, in December, when families flock to the theatre to see something called a pantomime.

This is a traditional play that tells one of the classic children’s stories, such as Cinderella or Peter Pan, in a really fun and comical way. It always involves a character called a Dame - a man dressed as a woman who does most of the comedy - and the whole audience is encouraged to get involved by booing all the villains and cheering for the hero. If you are in the UK during Christmas time then this is a must-do event.

But there are lots of theatrical events all year round, and many of the top shows feature some very famous performing artists from TV and film. Most plays in the UK start off by travelling around the country to the provincial theatres before being chosen to go to London’s famous theatre district known as ‘the west end’.

West End

If you are in London you can visit the west end by catching the London Underground to Piccadilly Circus. From there you can walk up a road called Shaftesbury Avenue which is where all the biggest and most famous productions are staged. Almost nowhere in the world has as many theatres and as many plays and musicals to choose from as the west end of London.

Get Involved

If you really love theatre and want to take part yourself then there are loads of opportunities for young people to get involved in the theatre world. You don’t have to be a great actor or singer, you might be interested in designing backdrops or how the lighting works.

Just look out for children’s theatre workshops in your local area, these are usually run as after-school or Saturday clubs and you can find out all about them from either your school or by contacting the local theatre and asking them.

They will teach you the basics of theatre: song, dance, speech and drama, and they will also provide you with a whole new group of friends and colleagues in your local area. Some of the UK’s most famous entertainers began their careers by joining local theatre groups so you might be treading in the footsteps of some of your heroes and who knows what the future holds. But even if you don’t want to be the next musical superstar, making use of your local theatre group is a great way to have fun, make friends and develop new skills.

See our “Find a…” section for more information.

USEFUL WORDS

play = a piece of writing performed by actors in a theatre
script = the written text of a play
act = one of the main divisions of a play
stage = a raised area where actors perform
scenery = the painted background on a theatre stage
lighting = the arrangement or type of light in a theatre
performance = the act of performing a play
encore = an extra short performance given at the end of a play
rehearsal = time that is spent practising a play in preparation for a public performance
scene = a part of a play in which the action happens in one place or is of one particular type
audience = a group of people who have gathered to watch a play
first night = the first public performance of a play
role = an actor’s part in a play
character = a person in a play
set = the scenery used for a play
cast = all the people who act in a play
programme = a thin book or piece of paper which gives you information about a play
matinee = an afternoon performance of a play
costume = the clothes worn by actors in a play
plot = the series of events which form the story of a play
tragedy =  a serious play with a sad ending
stalls = the seats that are nearest to the stage in a theatre
circle = an upper floor of a theatre where the seats are arranged in curved rows

GRAMMAR SPOT

Give, Send, Buy, Reserve

These verbs have two different sentence structures:
a) object + object
b) object + prepositional phrase

Object + Object
The first is the indirect object and the second is the direct object:

You give the attendant your ticket
We’ll send you a programme by post
Tom bought Sue matinee tickets
I can reserve you two seats in the stalls

Object + Prepositional Phrase

Instead of an indirect object, we use a prepositional phrase with to or for:
You give your ticket to the attendant
We’ll send a ticket to you by post
Tom bought matinee tickets for Sue
I can reserve two seats in the stalls for you